Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis from ovarian carcinoma

Background. Intramedullary spinal cord involvement by ovarian carcinoma is extremely rare. Case. A patient with stage IV serous cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary presented with neurologic complaints 16 months after primary treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a metastatic lesion in the intramedullary area of the spinal cord. No other site of metastatic disease was observed. The patient received three cycles of carboplatin with complete resolution of the neurologic symptoms and a remarkable reduction of the lesion. Following chemotherapy she was given radiotherapy on the spinal cord, but died 10 months later for disseminated abdominal disease, without neurologic symptoms. Conclusion. Spinal cord involvement is unusual in ovarian carcinoma; multidisciplinary treatment, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, may offer good palliation of the symptomatology. (C) 2001 Academic Press.